Narrative tales of romance and experience, sometimes third-person and sometimes autobiographical, set the mood, complemented by mild folk-rock arrangements and Stewart’s warm yet bemused voice.

Because they looked more like TV repairmen than weavers of Technicolor dreams, Ken Lewis and John Carter never received the acclaim they deserved…their brand of cleverly-arranged close harmony pop was the nearest thing the UK had to the Beach Boys or the Association…

An early British fusion band, Atlantic Bridge put out a self-titled instrumental album in 1970. The skills of the players were impressive, and they didn’t compromise their jazz roots…

Spawned at a time when the singer/songwriter was about to become a father, the album has a decidedly playful tone, even more so than its obvious predecessor, For Little Ones.

While living in London in the early ’60s, Bacharach recorded his first collection of Bacharach/David songs, aptly titled Hit Maker! (1965)…the slightly updated arrangements are scored for a decidedly more discerning and mature ear.

Compared to the albums that would follow, Ma Kelly is revealed as little more than a tentative blueprint for the Quo’s new direction. At the time, however, it was a spellbinding shock, perhaps the last one that the Quo ever delivered.

This album has acquired a bit of status as a minor legend over the moons, and it’s not too hard on balance to hear why…

Finbar Furey is a member of a very small body of musicians who are masters of the Irish pipes, a complex instrument which has developed over the centuries into the most sophisticated form of bagpipes.

The sons of fiddler Ted Furey from Ireland, Finbar and Eddie rose to fame in the ’60s. Finbar is a flamboyant and forceful uillean piper who won his first all-Ireland championship at the age of 15, while Eddie is a singer and guitarist. They have been members of the Furey Brothers and Davey Arthur, but their most charming recordings are the ones they did as a duo.

Rock music’s first two-LP box set, A Gift from a Flower to a Garden overcomes its original shortcomings and stands out as a prime artefact of the flower-power era that produced it.

Bare Wires was the first Bluesbreakers album of new studio material since A Hard Road, released 16 months before. In that time, the band had turned over entirely, expanding to become a septet. Mayall’s musical conception had also expanded…

Waterloo Lily is a 1972 released album by Caravan on the Deram label. It is the only album made by Caravan with Steve Miller as the keyboard player. He brought a jazzier feel to the sound of Caravan than had been heard on the previous album. The stand out track is "The Love in Your Eye" which has been featured as a live track for many years by the band.

In the Land of Grey and Pink is considered by many to be a pinnacle release from Caravan. A blending of jazz and folk instrumentation and improvisational styles….

The Man Who Sold the World is odd, but the music is bizarre itself, with Bowie's bizarre, paranoid futuristic tales melded to Ronson's riffing and the band's relentless attack…there's an unsettling edge to the band's performance, which makes the record one of Bowie's best albums.